Epoxy bedding question Rem 722

I'm working on my dad's Remington 722 rifle in .222 Rem. First rifle he ever bought back in the mid 50's. (He's long gone but is probably looking over my shoulder while I work on HIS rifle.)
I have epoxied in pillars and am preparing to epoxy bed the action. I note that there is a bedding lug between the action and the barrel which fits into a slot in the stock. OK, the lug measures 0.188" thick and the slot in the stock is o.253".
Obviously this must be corrected so . . . . . . . . If I fill the slot with epoxy, even with much parting compound, I'll never get the action out of the stock. So It appears that I must take my trusty mill file and taper the lug so that it will pull free of the epoxy in the slot and at the same time bed the action rock solid fore & aft.
Questions:
1, Am I correct in needing to taper the lug?
2, If so, how much approximately?
3, On which side of the lug do I file, front, rear, sides or all?
4 Any suggestions or warnings like "DON'T whatever you do - - - - - -.

With proper release agent, the recoil lug should slide right out. The critical area is the rear surface of the lug, it must make full contact with the stock. Some smiths will cover the front surface of the lug with electrical tape to supply a little wiggle room. I don't, but it doesn't hurt if you feel the need for a little clearance. For strength, releave the stock behind the lug so there is a solid area of epoxy for the lug to bear on.

velocette

November 22, 2012, 04:01 PM

Kp321;
That advice makes good sense. Thank you - - - - and thank you for helping to keep the ghost of my old man from chasing me around for screwing up HIS rifle! :->

Roger

Liberty1776

November 22, 2012, 05:14 PM

ok, here's the old school way I've done it for 35 yrs... relieve the stock behind the lug to give a good space for the bedding. put two layers of electrical tape on the sides and front of the lug - you do not want this to contact solid to the bedding. Just a thin relief area is fine. Spray on top the tape and all over the lug and bottom of the action with release agent, 4-6 complete coats. No need to taper, and you don't have to have the lug tight to the front. Its job is not to keep the action from moving forward, but to keep the action in place under recoil. When the screws are tightened, your action is not going anywhere.